The coup is the most frequently attempted method of changing government, and the most successful. Coup d' État outlines the mechanism of the coup and analyzes the conditions--political, military, and social, that gives rise to it. In doing so, the book sheds much light on societies where power does indeed grow out of the barrel of a gun and the role of law is a concept little understood.

Edward N. Luttwak is a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Read More by Edward N. Luttwak:

• Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace, Revised and Enlarged Edition
• The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire